Steven Universe With A Twist
by Shastadragonairtamer
Summary: Very unoriginal title I know, but I'll try to make the story good I promise. While exploring the prime kindergarten with Garnet after Malachite is dragged under the ocean, Steven finds two gems frozen in a block of ice. They thaw the gems out and gain new allies in the form of Aquamarine & Topaz. Follow the new crystal gems as they join Steven on his crazy adventures.
1. Aqua & Topaz

**AN: Okay, just so you guys know, I came up with Aquamarine & Topaz OCs back in season 2 of Steven Universe, and I haven't been able to write/upload stories until now, so please don't give me angry comments about how my Aquamarine & Topaz are nothing like the actual gems in the show, because it will be explained in the story. I'll try to upload as often as I can, but life is hectic so I can't make any promises. [New image is Aqua & Topaz V2] :/**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

 _It was chaos._

 _Aquamarine had seen a lot of crazy stuff during her short time on earth, including an all-out war between her fellow gems, but now things had finally gone off the deep end._

 _Thousands of gems were scrambling to get to the nearest warp pad after the diamonds had given an announcement that chilled Aqua to her very core._

 _They were going to unleash a corruption wave upon the earth._

 _"What're we gonna do Aqua?!"_ _Her best and only friend, a "custom" Topaz gem that had been deemed defective because of her unwillingness to follow orders (something they had in common) asked with tears in her eyes as Aqua gave her a grim look._

 _They were rouges, so they couldn't exactly leave earth unless they wanted to be shattered by the diamonds, and there was no time to try to find refuge with the rebellion known as the Crystal Gems._

 _Even they couldn't help them now._

 _Aqua gritted her teeth before grabbing Topaz & running as fast as her legs would carry her to the now-abandoned prime kindergarten and squeezing the both of them into the hole that she had emerged from several centuries ago._

 _There was only one option left._

 _"Topaz, do you trust me?"_ _She nodded._ _"Then get close to me, now!"_

 _Topaz quickly wrapped her arms around her before closing her eyes,_ _Aqua pulled her friend as tightly to her as possible and began to focus her energy into forming a solid block of ice around them both, she had never used this much power before and grunted with the effort as sweat began to form on her brow._

 _Something snapped inside of her, and she felt her powers grow out of control as the ice began cover their bodies before she heard a loud noise and the world went black._


	2. Keeping It Together--First Meeting

"Hurry Garnet!" Garnet held Steven back as he tried to chase after Pearl & Amethyst, who had taken off in pursuit of the homeworld gem known as Peridot.

"If Peridot's mission was to reactivate the kindergarten, the injectors would be on. Look, they're not."

"Oh." Steven said as Garnet finally set him down on the ground.

"Let's see what she was _actually_ doing." Said Garnet as she walked over to lift one of the injectors off the ground. "Down here!" She motioned for Steven to come closer as a large hole in the ground was revealed beneath the injector.

"Oooh! You're brains _and_ brawn, the whole package." Steven said impressed and gave Garnet a high-five.

"Thank you." Garnet said with a smile.

"Is it because you're a fusion?"

"I have to keep _some_ of my secrets."

Steven huffed in annoyance. "Aww _please_? I wanna know!" Garnet just chuckled as they made their way down the secret tunnel.

* * *

 _ ***After the incident with the gem fusion experiments***_

It had taken almost an entire hour, but they had finally managed to bubble every single one of the experiments and made their way back out to the kindergarten. Steven sighed as he noticed that Garnet still refused to speak after her encounter with the fusion experiment and was about to follow them back to the warp pad when something shiny caught his eye.

"Huh?"

After turning to make sure that the gems weren't too far away, he decided to check it out for himself. He walked over to the hole that the glow was coming from and was surprised to find a giant block of ice taking up most of the hole and spreading its way out.

"Hey guys! Come check this out!" He called out to the crystal gems and they came running over.

"What is it Steve- oh my!" Pearl gasped as she saw the jagged ice formation.

"Whoa! That's weird... why is there ice _here_ but nowhere else?"

Garnet hummed in agreement as Amethyst walked over to check it out.

"Amethyst! Be careful!" Pearl scolded as Amethyst placed her hand on a sharp icicle that was sticking off the main formation.

"Hey, I think there's something in there!"

Garnet walked over to inspect what it was that Amethyst was seeing before getting a strange look on her face.

"Move!"

Amethyst quickly moved out of the way as Garnet began to smash through the ice, breaking off large icicles and tossing them over her shoulder before reaching in to grab & pull a huge chunk of ice away from the wall. Pearl gasped when she realized there were _gems_ frozen in the block of ice.

"Let's take these back with us and find out who they are." Everybody followed after Garnet as she made her way to the warp pad that would take them home, putting the terrifying incident with the fusion experiments out of her mind for the time being as the possibility of new allies formed in her mind.

Perhaps something good could come out of this mess.

* * *

Steven sat in the sand and watched as the (now smaller) block of ice slowly continued to melt, he was excited at the idea of making new friends and patiently waited to meet the new gems.

From what he could see, there were two gems frozen in the block of ice; one blue, and one yellow. He briefly wondered who they could be and what they would be like, would they be evil like Peridot? Would they be nice and possibly join the crystal gems? Or maybe they were corrupted and would need to be bubbled.

Only one way to find out.

He watched as the last of the ice melted away, leaving the two gems to lay in the sand.

"Guys! Get out here!" They came running as Steven bounced in excitement, waiting for the new gems to reform.

"Be ready for anything, just in case!" Garnet said as her gauntlets appeared on her arms, everyone nodded in agreement before drawing their weapons just in case they needed to defend themselves. They watched in excited anticipation as the gems began to glow, their silhouettes begin to take shape and there was a brief moment of relief when they were revealed to be uncorrupted.

The first to take form was the blue gem; She was only a little bit taller than Pearl and her skin was a light-blue color, her hair was long and had a dark navy tone to it with dark-green highlights all throughout, Steven briefly noticed that her gem was on her chest as she collapsed in the sand.

The yellow gem finished taking form not long after the blue gem collapsed, she was also the same height as Pearl & her skin was a pale-yellow color, Steven noticed that she had the same hairstyle as Opal, but her hair was a dark-orange with bright-yellow highlights all throughout. He also noticed that her gem was at the base of her throat, and she seemed to be in better shape than the other gem because she managed to only fall to her knees without passing out.

"H-huh?" She groaned before looking around in bewilderment, her eyes - which they noticed were a bright-orange color - finally landed on the small group before she suddenly stood up and they watched in amazement as her eyes lit up & electricity began to pulse around her body.

"Wh-who are you?! Where am I?!"

The other gem began to stir before anyone could answer and the yellow gem gasped before rushing over to her friend.

"Aqua, Aqua! Are you ok?!" The blue gem, Aqua, groaned before slowly opening her eyes and attempting to sit up, she wobbled a bit before placing a hand to her forehead.

"Wh-wha? Topaz? What happened?"

Topaz placed a gentle hand on Aqua's shoulder to steady her & turned to face the crystal gems.

"I don't know, but I think these guys thawed us out."

Steven retracted his shield and slowly stepped forward while putting his hands up in a placative gesture.

"That's right, I found you in the kindergarten and we brought you here. I'm Steven, it's nice to meet you!"

Topaz helped Aqua to her feet before addressing him. "I'm Topaz, This is Aquamarine." Aqua waved to them before looking around in confusion.

"Where are we?"

"You're in Beach City." Garnet answered before finally relaxing and making her gauntlets disappear, Topaz looked at her like she had just grown second head.

"You look familiar... Who are you?"

"Hey... I remember you! You're the fusion that worked with Rose Quartz! Garnet, right?"

She tensed before giving her a pointed look. "Why?"

"We heard of your exploits during the gem war, but we never had the pleasure of meeting you in person. You see, we were considered defective by our _diamonds_ because we had problems with authority and we ran away before they could shatter us for it. We tried looking for Rose Quartz, but could never find her."

Topaz spat the word diamonds as if it were acid in her mouth, Garnet seemed to mull this over for a moment before nodding.

"I see, how did you end up in that block of ice?"

"That would be my doing, it was the only way I could think of to protect me and Topaz from the corruption wave."

Pearl and Garnet hung their heads while Amethyst and Steven looked at them in confusion.

"Corruption wave? What's that?"

"It's what turned all those gems into monsters Steven." Steven made an 'oh' face before nodding in understanding.

"Hey... where _is_ Rose Quartz?"

"Right here." Steven lifted up his shirt to reveal the gem on his stomach before anyone could stop him and Aqua looked at him in confusion.

"How?..."

"It's a long story."

"Oh...well, we'd still like to join you, if you'll have us."

Everyone looked at Garnet and she thought it over before smiling.

"Well then, welcome to the club."


	3. Chille Tid

**AN: Ok, I'm still getting used to the mechanics of this website, I've only ever uploaded stuff on Wattpad before, so this is a new experience for me. Thank you to all the people who have favorited & followed this story so far! I would love to hear from you guys, so please review and tell me what you think! :)**

* * *

 **"3,000 YEARS?!"**

Garnet nodded solemnly as she told Aqua and Topaz just how much had changed since the end of the gem war. Steven had left to visit his dad and his friend Connie for the day, leaving the crystal gems alone with their new "friends".

"If you guys were stuck in that block of ice for 3,000 years, then how the heck did the ice hold up for so long?"

"As long as my ice isn't under direct heat, it can stay solid for eternity if necessary. It probably would've if you guys hadn't found us."

Amethyst nodded in understanding before walking out to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

"Quick question though; Where are Aqua and I going to stay?"

"Until we can figure something out, you're going to have to stay here for the time being."

Topaz sighed before shrugging in indifference.

"Alright then, we'll try to not be an inconvenience to you in the meantime." She turned to follow Amethyst into the kitchen and Aqua gave Garnet & Pearl an apologetic look.

"Sorry about that, she has a hard time trusting people."

"So do we, we just need to give each other time to adjust, it'll work out in the end." Garnet said while giving her an understanding smile, before Aqua could say anything, the front door opened & Steven came rushing inside.

"Hey guys, I'm back! And I brought Connie with me, she wanted to meet the new gems, I hope that's ok."

Aqua stood up and gave Connie a friendly smile.

"That's fine, I'm Aquamarine, that's Topaz."

"My name's Connie, nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too." Aqua said while shaking her hand in greeting, Topaz waved to her from her place at the kitchen counter.

"So Steven, looks like you're going to be sharing your room with us for a while. Hope that's ok."

"Great! It'll be fun, I promise!"

* * *

A few hours after Connie had gone home, the gems had asked Aqua & Topaz to help them with a mission that they had been working on, which consisted of them sitting in a raft while searching the ocean for a fusion that was apparently hidden beneath the waves.

"GAH! This isn't getting us anywhere!"

"What's the matter Pearlgy? You tired?"

"I don't get tired, I get results."

"Remind me _again_ why we're out here?" Topaz grumbled as she  & Aqua sat in the small raft with Pearl while Amethyst held Steven's legs as he looked around under the water.

"We're searching for a fusion that's hidden somewhere beneath the ocean Topaz, we've been over this!"

"In case you've forgotten Pearl, my powers are electricity-based, so I'm really no help at all in this situation!" Topaz grumbled as Steven's legs started kicking violently.

"Was the sign for 'pull me up' one wiggle or two?"

"Amethyst stay focused!" Amethyst just shrugged before letting go of Steven's legs & letting him fall into the water.

"For all we know, Lapis & Jasper's fusion could be right under our noses!"

Steven resurfaced in front of Pearl with a gasp and spit a fish out of his mouth.

" _This_ is why we wear lifejackets!"

"Oh! Are-are you alright?!"

Garnet suddenly appeared in the water before he could answer and pulled him up into the raft with her.

"Nothing."

Aqua laughed as Steven flopped around like a fish out of water.

" _Oh_ it feels like we've been searching for light-years!" Pearl groaned before collapsing in defeat.

"Uh, light-years measures _light_ , not years." Amethyst said while pressing down on Steven's chest, making him spit out another fish.

Pearl sat up and growled in annoyance. "And I'm sick of these _life diapers_!"

"Safety is no punchline Pearl!"

Garnet nodded in agreement. "Safety _is_ our job, we _must_ find Jasper and Lapis. As it stands, their fusion is a ticking time bomb!"

"Is Lapis gonna be ok?"

"She had control when she used her power to drag their fusion into the ocean, but a fusion like theirs is unstable, bound together by anger & mistrust. If that bond snaps, their anger will take over and destroy."

Aqua noticed that Steven looked like he was about to pass out.

"Don't worry Lapis, we won't let you sleep with the fishes." He yawned before collapsing next to Topaz and seemingly falling asleep.

"We're gonna have to keep looking. But first, let's bring Steven home."

"Wh-wha? No, I'm fine! Let's go fishing, first one to catch something wins!" Steven stood up on wobbly legs before almost walking off the end of the raft, making Garnet have to catch him by the ankle.

"No way little man, I think it's bedtime for you!" Topaz chuckled as he fell asleep while still hanging by his ankle.

* * *

"We should be out there searching! Not in here _not_ searching!" Pearl whined as they walked through the door.

"Sleep is a curse, and yet a curse I need to live. Steven universe." Aqua shook her head as Steven quoted himself and turned to listen to Garnet.

"Steven isn't like us, he needs rest."

"Don't you guys need rest too? You look exhausted."

"We look awesome."

Aqua noted that in fact, they looked half-dead & ready to collapse at any moment. Steven sighed before walking over to grab a few pillows.

"Look, you can't really knock sleep until you try it, and maybe we can throw a little fun into the mix with a slumber party!" He exclaimed while dropping the pillows on the floor.

" _Fun_?" Aqua backed away slowly as Pearl's eye began to twitch.

"Yeah, all of us together, peacefully dozing off. It'll be like there _isn't_ a vengeful fusion boiling the ocean with hatred!" Topaz snickered at his choice of words while Garnet nodded in agreement.

"Steven's right, you should stay here and relax, but I'm going. Because I'm _always_ relaxed."

Aqua was not convinced at all as Garnet gritted her teeth.

"But Garnet, you couldn't possibly search the ocean by yourself! Let me- let _us_ help you! We're a team!"

"Speak for yourself, I'm staying here." Topaz sat down next to Steven on the floor while Garnet placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder.

"No, right now you're a party, a _slumber_ party."

Aqua joined Topaz & Steven on the floor as Garnet began backing away towards the warp pad.

"Steven, put these gems to bed. Don't stay up too late. There's snacks in the fridge. Bye." She nodded as she disappeared through the warp pad.

After setting everything up according to Steven's instructions (and Steven himself changing into pajamas) everyone sat down to begin the slumber party.

"Now, before we get this slumber party started, would anyone care for a slumber companion?"

"I'm good!" Amethyst waved him off before face-planting on the pile of blankets and snoring loudly.

"Pearl?"

"I'll pass on the slumber pals."

"Ok. Aqua? Topaz? How about you?"

"Eh, what the heck." Topaz shrugged before taking one of the stuffed animals, Aqua nodded before taking one as well.

"Alright, sleep it up guys!"

"Oh, right." Pearl said before awkwardly crossing her legs.

"Is this right?"

"No, you should lay down."

"Ah, I get it now." She moved to lay on her stomach while placing a pillow under her arm.

"Am I doing it?"

"Well, that's way better than before, but close your eyes all the way."

Pearl closed her eyes while Aqua decided to try this 'sleeping' thing too & moved to lay down on her back while Topaz decided to lay on her side.

"OK...alright...I'm sleeping now, I'm sleeping."

"You can't talk while you sleep!"

"How's this even supposed to work?!" Pearl groaned in annoyance.

"It's easy! You just lie down, get nice and comfy, don't move, and don't think about _anything_." Steven explained while demonstrating by laying on his stomach and closing his eyes. Aqua  & Topaz gave each other a look before following suit.

It wasn't long before Steven started making strange noises in his sleep, Aqua distinctively heard the word _'Lapis'_ before he woke with a start, causing her  & Topaz to sit up in alarm.

"Are you ok?" Pearl asked as Steven stood up and backed away.

"Oh man, I fell asleep & had this weird dream; I opened the door and Lapis was there and–"

"Well that doesn't make _any_ sense. Lapis is fused with Jasper at the bottom of the ocean."

"We know that Pearl." Topaz sighed before laying back down on her side while still listening to the conversation.

"You've never had a dream before, have you?"

Pearl thought it over for a moment. "Uh, I don't think so."

"Well Pearl, dreams don't always make sense. When you dream, the thoughts in your head get all mixed up into a weird movie, and they're really hard to explain, which is why they're boring to listen to."

Steven went on to explain a dream that he had at one point in time, something about the big doughnut and his dad's van, and something about a lion, Aqua didn't quite catch all of it as she drifted off to sleep in the middle of the story.

She woke up a few minutes later to the sound of Amethyst and Topaz laughing at something.

"Wha? What's going on guys?" She looked up to see that Pearl was dreaming, and her dream was being projected from her gem, which seemed to be the cause of Amethyst & Topaz's amusement.

The dream seemed to consist of her spending time with another gem (which she suspected was Rose Quartz) and saying how she wanted to travel the galaxy with her, that is until 'Rose' turned around to reveal a human face that Aqua didn't recognize and Pearl sat up in shock.

"Pearl?"

"Y-yes Steven?"

"I had another dream about Lapis." Steven seemed quite shaken up about this & Aqua placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, that's ok, dreams aren't real! They're just mixed up movies!" Pearl seemed to be trying to convince herself more than Steven, but he didn't seem to care.

"But I...I-I think I was talking to her."

"Wait, how do you know?" Everyone was interested now and listened intently as Steven explained.

"I don't but, I could just feel it. She was yelling, and she was really freaked out."

"What did she say? Is she still in control?"

"I...I don't know."

Pearl stood up & began to pace around the room.

"Steven, you could be using your dreams to connect with her mentally!"

"Can you do it again? Maybe Lapis can just _tell_ you where they are." Amethyst asked while Steven thought it over, Topaz nodded in agreement.

"That would certainly make things easier on us."

"You just don't want to go back out on the ocean." Aqua said matter-of-factly, Topaz stuck her tongue out at her and turned to listen to Steven.

"I guess I have to go back to sleep. Quick, Pearl, tell me about your dream so I can fall asleep!"

"M-my dream?!" Pearl shuddered.

"C'mon Pearl, it's for the greater good!" Amethyst teased, Topaz & Aqua snickered as Pearl groaned in annoyance.

"If I must."

Before Pearl could even begin to explain her dream, Steven fell asleep & began snoring loudly (much to the amusement of the other gems in the room)

The four gems watched as Steven began tossing and turning in his sleep, he mumbled Lapis' name a few times before finally sitting up in shock & flinging himself into Pearl's arms.

"Steven, it's ok. We're here."

"Did you see her?" Steven took a moment to breathe before nodding in affirmation.

"Yeah. She's still fused, a-and she's still in control, but I don't know for how long and-" He paused when the front door opened and everyone turned to see Garnet walk through the door.

" _This_ is a weird party."

"Garnet!" Steven cried before running over to hug the fusion.

"Steven, you're still awake." She said as more of a question than a statement.

"Amethyst was on a skateboard, and then dog copter meowed at me & was just not interested in what I had to say at all - and I might have some issues I need to work out - but, Lapis! She's still out there and she's still-"

Garnet shushed him before kneeling down to look him in the eye.

"I know you're worried, but there's nothing we can do right now. So let's take it easy." She said while carrying him over to the pile of blankets and setting him down between Amethyst and Topaz.

" _I'll_ show you how it's done!" She cracked her knuckles before walking a few steps away  & face planting on top of the blankets.

"That's pretty convincing."

"Garnet?"


	4. Cry For Help

**AN: Sorry this chapter took so long, I didn't have much time to work on it**

 **-_-"**

 **Dont forget to review & tell me what you think, constructive criticism is welcome & appreciated!**

* * *

Aqua & Topaz were sitting in front of the small television set next to Steven & Amethyst while one of Steven's favorite cartoons - a strange show called "Crying Breakfast Friends" - played on the screen.

Aqua watched in confusion as Pear dropped his ice cream on the ground, causing him and his friend Spoon to start crying (obviously), they paused briefly as their friend Bacon walked onto the scene before crying along with them.

"I don't get this cartoon man, why don't they just eat the ice cream off the floor? They don't have to cry about it!"

Topaz nodded in agreement and Aqua watched in confusion as the show suddenly cut to static.

"Aw, not _again_! It was doing this yesterday too!"

"Hang on, I got it." Amethyst got up and walked over to the television before kicking it a few times. "How 'bout now- AH!" Amethyst cried out and Topaz jumped back in shock as the television suddenly started bouncing & shaking violently.

"It's never done _that_ before!"

Aqua gasped in surprise as the image of a green gem suddenly appeared on the screen.

 _This is Peridot transmitting on all frequencies from abandoned crystal-system colony planet earth._

 _To Yellow Diamond:_

 _My mission has been compromised! My escort_ and _informant are gone, and I am now_ stranded _. Please send help!_

Amethyst ran to call the rest of the Crystal Gems while Steven ran to answer the phone as it started ringing, Aqua watched as the message from Peridot began to replay itself and looked over at Topaz, who was shaking in anger while giving the television an icy glare.

"This is _not_ good! If Yellow Diamond gets that message, it could spell disaster for all of us!"

"I know Topaz, but we have to stay calm and figure out what to do. Just be patient."

Amethyst came rushing into the room with Pearl & Garnet close behind her, while Steven walked over to the television with the phone pressed against his ear.

"Ok, thanks!" Steven finally hung up the phone and turned to give them all a confused look.

"Connie says it's on her tv too."

"But where could Peridot be broadcasting a signal that strong?!"

Everyone turned to Garnet, hoping she had an answer.

"There's only _one_ place."

* * *

Steven finally took a breath as he popped his head out of Lion's mane, poor Lion had collapsed from carrying the weight of Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl on his back.

"Lion! Are you OK?"

Aqua & Topaz poked their heads out as well before quickly climbing out of Lion's mane.

"It's as I feared." Garnet said while looking up at the tall structure in front of them, which was glowing with power & emitting a beam of light from the top of it.

"Looks like Peridot somehow repaired the communication hub! Well, at least _some_ of it."

Now that she had a better look at it, Aqua could clearly recognize the gem-built structure, even in its dilapidated state.

"Sooo we just gotta wreck it up again, right? You guys should form Sugilite!"

Aqua & Topaz turned to the other gems in shock. They had certainly seen gems fuse before, but they were always two of the same kind, and even though they knew about Garnet being a fusion of a Ruby & a Sapphire, they had never seen the actual fusion of two different gems before.

"Yeah? Well, it's up to Garnet I guess. What do you say? Shall we mash it up?"

"No." Everyone turned to Garnet in confusion.

"But... don't we need to be huge like last time?"

"Last time was a disaster! Last time we fused, Sugilite went berserk! It's because of _her_ that we can't even warp here anymore!"

So this "Sugilite" was a fusion of Garnet & Amethyst, and apparently they'd used her to destroy the communication hub before. Aqua shuddered at the thought of a gem - who was _not_ a diamond - being powerful enough to cause so much destruction  & was slightly relieved that she wouldn't have to see it for herself.

" _I_ can be brash, _you_ can be reckless, and we can _both_ get carried away. So, for the time being, Sugilite is _benched_." Amethyst hung her head in sadness as Garnet considered their next move.

"What we need now, is to be _careful_." Pearl's head shot up as Garnet turned to her with a smile. "It's you and me Pearl, let's fuse."

Aqua & Topaz stared in shock as Pearl started tearing up.

"Don't cry Pearl." Pearl tried to reign it in as Steven started shaking in excitement.

"C'mon, let's do this!"

"I'm right behind you!"

"Woohoo! Fusion fusion fusion fusion!"

Everyone followed behind Garnet & Pearl as they walked over to an open area, Steven sat between Aqua & Topaz while Amethyst stood beside them, they watched in confusion as Pearl started doing stretches.

"Ready."

Pearl continued to stretch as Garnet's gems began to glow.

"Hang on, it's been such a long time!" Pearl finally finished stretching before her gem also began to glow and they heard music begin to play from an unknown source.

Everyone watched in awe as Pearl began to dance. She spun around in a circle before throwing a seductive look over her shoulder at Garnet, who began moving her body to the beat.

Aqua & Topaz marveled at them as their bodies moved in a graceful, beautiful & seductive dance, moving closer & closer to one-another before Garnet finally tossed Pearl high in the air, said-gem spun several times before landing in Garnet's arms as their bodies were consumed by a ball of light. They all watched in amazement as it formed into a giant orange pillar & the outline of a gem began to form in the center of it, growing larger & larger by the second.

" _Good_ evening everybody!"

The new gem parted the pillar of light - as if appearing from behind a curtain - before standing proudly in front of everyone. Aqua & Topaz felt their jaws hit the ground as they stared at the giant gem fusion.

"This is the _lovely_ Sardonyx, coming to you _alive_ , from the soon-to-be former communication hub! How are y'all doin' tonight?"

Aqua studied the new gem, Sardonyx. She had never seen a gem like her before, she had four arms, and Aqua could tell that she also had two pairs of eyes behind her sunglasses, and on top of all that, she was _enormous_!

"Giant woman!"

"Oh my stars!" She smiled before scooping Steven up in her hands & bringing him close to her face. "If it isn't Steven Universe! We finally meet! So, what do ya think? Was I worth the wait?"

Aqua gaped as she literally twisted her upper body around in a circle.

"What am I saying? Of course I was!" She laughed as Steven looked at her in awe.

"Wow, you're so articulated!"

"Well, aren't you the _sweetest_ little charmer? I could literally _squish_ you right now, it would not be hard!" She joked while playfully squishing Steven with her second set of hands.

Aqua didn't doubt for a second that she actually _could_ if she really wanted to.

"Sorry, I'm just, so excited to be here! You see, I haven't exactly been myself lately." Topaz snickered as Sardonyx laughed loudly at her own joke.

"Fusion joke!"

Amethyst groaned & Aqua rolled her eyes as the fusion finally set Steven gently on the ground.

"And _jokes_ aren't the only thing I've got!"

She pulled a spear out of the gem on her forehead before playfully using one of her hands to "distract" her by tapping her on the shoulder while tossing the spear into the air, she pretended to be surprised before catching it between her fists, which formed into gauntlets before fusing with the spear, turning it into a giant hammer.

 _'Ok, that was cool!' _Aqua thought to herself as Sardonyx struck a pose.

"Are you gonna smash stuff with your war-hammer?!" Steven asked excitedly.

"Hmm...smash is the word to describe what...someone else might do."

Amethyst glared at her as she leapt into the air.

"Now, the proper words do describe yours-truly are...specific!"

She started listing words off while knocking each beam out of the structure with her hammer.

"Intelligent! Accurate! Faultless!" She paused to strike a pose in the air. " _Elegant_."

Everyone watched as she continued "wrecking" the hub.

"Controlled! Surgical! Graceful! Aaaand... POWERFUL!" She twisted in the air a few times before pausing on top of the hub.

"But yes, occasionally, I am known to smash." She said before lightly tapping the final beam with her hammer, the force of which drove it halfway into the ground below. The light emitting from the structure went out as she leapt off the top of the hub before landing in front of everyone & spinning her hammer, which turned into a bunch of dragonflies, much to everyone's amazement.

"Now, just remember everybody, if you ever have need of the _lovely_ Sardonyx, let Pearl  & Garnet know, I'll be there in a flash. _Literally_!"

Sardonyx vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing Garnet & Pearl wrapped in each other's arms, Pearl giggled & Garnet cheered before playfully lifting Pearl up & spinning her around. Steven ran over to hug them as Garnet finally set Pearl on her feet.

"You guys were amazing!"

"We were? Well that's good!"

"We were awesome!"

Aqua glanced over at Amethyst, only to see her squatting on the ground with a depressed look on her face.

 _'Poor Amethyst, I wish I could make her feel better.'_ Aqua sighed as the other gems continued to celebrate.

"Why don't we do that more often?"

* * *

 _"Why Pear? Why did you lie to me?!"_

 _"I didn't mean to!"_

"Aw, Pear! I'd forgive her, wouldn't you?" Aqua shrugged as she continued watching tv with Steven & Garnet, she looked over when she heard the door to the temple open & watched as Amethyst came into the room.

"Oh, hey! Amethyst! You're missing Crying Breakfast Friends!" Steven called to Amethyst as she joined Topaz in the kitchen before opening the fridge.

"That's ok, I'm fine!"

"But it's a _really_ good one so far!"

"Not really."

Topaz snickered & Aqua couldn't help but laugh at Garnet.

"Don't worry, I'm recording it for later!"

Aqua jumped as the tv let out a screech before shaking & cutting to static.

"It's the signal again!"

"Peridot!" Garnet turned as Pearl came walking through the door.

"Pearl! The signal is back!"

"Again?!"

"We need to get back out there!"

"Right, Steven, where's Lion? Amethyst, get your head out of the fridge!"

"Let's go guys!"

* * *

"I hope you're ready."

"You know I am."

Everyone stood by as Garnet & Pearl fused again.

"What's this? An encore performance? Just couldn't get enough of me, could you?" Sardonyx teased before attacking the structure & knocking the beams out again.

 ** _Maybe you're better off with her_**

Everyone turned to listen as Amethyst suddenly began to sing.

 ** _I think she's better for you_**

They all followed after her as she started walking away.

 ** _I forgot how great it felt to be us,_**

 ** _Guess I got carried away_**

 ** _I had to use you to make me feel strong, but I don't care about that now!_**

 ** _I see a tower built out of my mistakes, and it all comes crashing down!_**

Everyone jumped as one of the beams crashed into the ground once again.

 ** _Is there something I can do?_**

 ** _Is there something I can do?_**

 ** _Is there something I can do?_**

 ** _Can I make it up to you?_**

"Hmmm..."

* * *

"Remind me _again_ why were out here in the middle of the night Steven?" Aqua asked as her, Topaz, Amethyst  & Steven came through the "Lion portal" that led to the communication hub.

"Peridot's been back here twice, so the odds are good she'll come back again right? BAM! That's when we'll get her!"

"Yeah! BAM!" Amethyst agreed with a smile.

Aqua had to admit, it _was_ a pretty good plan.

"Garnet'll be so impressed!"

"And then she'll think I'm cool again!"

The foursome found a hiding spot behind a couple of rocks and waited patiently for something to happen, Steven was spying on the hub with a telescope that he had brought along.

"Nothing...more nothing...AH! There she is!...No, wait, that's just a weird cactus." Topaz snickered as Steven sighed in annoyance.

After two more long, boring hours, they were all sitting there dejectedly.

"I don't think she's coming...uh...what're you doing?"

Aqua glanced over to see Steven holding his index fingers slightly apart.

"If you make your eyes blurry, it looks like there's a little magic sausage between your fingers!"

Amethyst raised an eyebrow before trying it herself. "This is stupid, it doesn't even work!"

"Try this!" Steven said while moving Amethyst's hair away from her eyes. "Hey! Don't mess with my- _ooooh_!" Steven giggled as Amethyst finally got the trick to work.

"Well, even if we didn't catch Peridot, at least I taught you a great way to pass the time!"

Everyone's heads shot up when Steven suddenly gasped in surprise.

"What?!"

"I think I saw something!" He quickly ran over to grab his telescope and pointed it in the direction of whatever it was that he'd seen.

"It's Peridot's escape pod! She _fixed_ _it_ somehow?!"

"But I thought _we_ had it?!"

Topaz looked at Aqua as they gathered around the telescope.

"Did she steal it from the temple?" Aqua mused out loud before Steven motioned for them to be quiet.

"Woah! She's lifting the pillar guys, and...she's fixing the hub!...what's she doing up there?"

Aqua squinted to try and see the top of the hub, she could just barely make out the tiny dot that was the escape pod.

" _Enhance_!" Steven exclaimed dramatically while twisting the knob that adjusted the zoom of the telescope lens.

"H-hey, for some reason, Peridot kinda looks like... _PEARL_?!"

 ** _"WHAT?!"_**

"Lemme see!"

Aqua shared a grim look with Topaz as Amethyst quickly grabbed the telescope from Steven.

" _Oh no_!"

* * *

"Why would _Pearl_ rebuild the hub?!"

"Maybe she's trying to study how it works?" Topaz offered weakly as she & Aqua sat in front of the tv with Steven & Amethyst while trying to figure this whole mess out.

"No, I don't think that's it." Amethyst sighed as they once again came up empty.

"Maybe she's...trying to get us more channels?" Steven's answer was even weaker then Topaz's as he switched on the tv, only to find nothing but static.

"Oh, this is no good!" Everyone jumped as Pearl suddenly appeared & paused in front of the television.

"What's wrong?" Steven asked apprehensively, already knowing what the answer would be.

"It's Peridot! She must've fixed the communication hub again!

The foursome gave each other wary looks as Pearl called for Garnet.

"It's the hub again!"

"She's evading my future-vision, no matter how many times I try, I can't see us finding Peridot!" She clucked her tongue in annoyance before turning towards the door.

"C'mon team!"

Aqua glared at Pearl's retreating form as she followed after Garnet. She had a hunch about what was going on, but decided to keep it to herself for the time being.

* * *

"I can't believe Peridot is giving us so much trouble, but it hardly matters, right Garnet? We can disable this tower as many times as we need to, together! Ok? Ok. I'm ready!"

"I know what she's doing."

"You do?"

Aqua & Topaz shook their heads in exasperation as Garnet dipped Pearl to start the fusion.

"STOP!" Everyone looked at Amethyst when she cried out, Pearl gave her a worried look as Amethyst glared at her. "I-Is something the matter Amethyst?"

"You- you shouldn't!"

"Pearl, we _saw_ you!"

She froze at the accusing glares she was receiving from her fellow gems.

"What?!"

"You need to tell Garnet it was you!" Aqua stated with finality while giving Garnet an apologetic look.

"I don't understand?"

Pearl, realizing she'd been caught red-handed, stuttered while giving the fusion a desperate look.

"I-I'm sorry...it's just...so much fun being Sardonyx with you." Garnet dropped Pearl unceremoniously on the ground before giving her a look of betrayal.

" _That's_ why I couldn't see us finding Peridot!"

"Wait! Let me explain!"

Everyone stood by awkwardly as the drama played out in front of them.

" _You've_ been fixing the hub!"

"It really _was_ Peridot! Th-The first time!"

"You tricked me!"

"No! No no no no! No, w-we just needed a reason to fuse! I just wanted to share a few more victories with you!"

"Those weren't _victories_!"

"Wait Garnet!" Everyone turned as Amethyst spoke up. "You know, we're so much weaker than you! Fusing with you is our _one_ chance to feel... _stronger_!"

"DON'T DEFEND HER!" Everyone winced as Garnet raised her voice. "Peridot is out there somewhere and Pearl has been distracting us with- _NOTHING_!"

Aqua glanced at Topaz to find her looking rather terrified of Garnet, which she couldn't blame her for in the slightest.

"Garnet-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH! Amethyst! Fuse with me!"

"But-"

"Let's just get this over with."

Aqua felt her hands tremble as Amethyst hung her head in defeat before following after Garnet.

There was no dance, no display of connectivity between gems, only a quick grasp of the hands as Amethyst reluctantly fused with Garnet. Aqua felt as if her whole body had turned to ice as the monstrous fusion, Sugilite, completely decimated the communication hub with a single punch.

Never before had she seen such destructive power, and it was an experience she didn't care to relive ever again.


End file.
